# Jim's HU Tobacco Reviews, Round Two



## JimInks (Nov 11, 2012)

Here's my reviews of the eight HU blends I've been smoking.

*Balkan Passion:*
The latakia is sweet, woodsy, smokey and doesn't overwhelm the other components. The Virginia is sweet and slightly tangy. The Louisiana perique is peppery as are the Orientals, which add a little spice and wood, too. Mildly sweet with some tartness and a few dry notes, I do detect an extremely mild topping that I can't identify, but it doesn't detract from the natural flavors of the ingredients in any way. Well balanced in its complexity, you taste nearly all the varieties of the tobaccos in every puff. Burns well with no dottle. It has enough strength to satisfy, and is smooth and creamy enough to repeat during your smoking day.

*Haymaker:*
A flake comprised of several varieties of Virginia with no topping. The natural sweetness of the Virginias create a mild citrus flavor which is complimented by some grass, hay, and earth notes. It reminds me of a more natural, little stronger version of Dunhill Flake. The flake is easy to rub out if you aren't a "fold and stuff" smoker, but either way you pack it gives you a perfectly burn rate with a consistent taste and no dottle. Not much nicotine here as it is designed to an excellent all day smoke that doesn't wear out your taste buds. As good as it is fresh, I imagine with age, it'll be even better. Well worth cellaring.

*Imagine:*
The Virginias offer citrus, grass, and a few earth notes, along with a slight tangy hit. The perique is sweetly plumy and lightly spicy, and is a minor player in the game. I notice a very light sweet topping, though it does not detract from the natural flavors of the ingredients. The Virginias are slightly fermented, indicating they have a little age on them. It's a little moist in the tin, so you may want to dry it a mite, but not so much that you'll lose some flavor. As with all of the HU blends I have tried, it's smooth, burns slow, well and even and cool with virtually no dottle.

*Indaba:*
The Virginias are richly earthy with a touch of grass and natural citrusy sweetness. There's a little spiciness from the dark-fired Virginia that blends well with the mild spice and sweet nuttiness from the Kentucky. Overall, the spice content is a little short of medium, so it doesn't overtake the other flavors. At times, I get a very subtle cocoa note from the Kentucky. While there are more Virginias here than Kentucky, the presence of the latter is obvious in every puff, adding a pleasing complexity. It's a medium strength broken flake that burns well and cool with a creamy smoothness.

*Khoisaan:*
The tingly spice from the perique and fired cured Virginia hits you from the first puffs to the very last as it perfectly melded with an ample amount of smokey, woodsy Syrian latakia. There's some plumy sweetness from the perique and a natural citrusy, earthy sweetness from the Virginias. The full bodied complexity of the blend never weakens, and the nic-hit is filling without blowing out your senses. It's an exceptionally well balanced spicy ribbon cut Balkan with a smooth creaminess that burns well with very little moisture at the finish. Not an all day smoke, but if you are dedicated to this genre of tobaccos or new to English mixtures, you'll enjoy the experience.

*Makhuwa:*
The description says this is "a robust, nutty and spicy mixture for fans of individuated blends." I'm half tempted to leave it at that because it's true, though I'd say it's robust in flavor, not in strength. The chocolate flavor is mild, but rich, and well compliments the strong nuttiness of the burleys. I should point out that the chocolate naturally comes from the burleys. I detect no topping. The red Virginia is a minor player, offering a slight tangy sweetness that contrasts well with a sharp note or two from the white burley. The plum and spice from the Louisiana perique is mild, but important for the complexity of the blend. The cut is broken flake and cube, creating an even burn rate. Smooth, and mild to mediumly sweet, it's creamy from start to finish and leaves no moisture at the end. It's an all day smoke that will keep you endlessly interest for its taste and variety of flavors, some of which are subtle and some of which stand out in a most pleasing fashion.

*Nashville County:*
The sweet, nutty, earthy burleys are well complimented by the tangy sweet red Virginia. There's a hint of cocoa and molasses from the burleys, too. The licorice topping is extremely light, and does not detract from the natural flavors of the tobaccos. The Virginia and burley meld together for a well balanced smoke that gives you every flavor in every puff from start to finish. Burns well, slow, cool with no dottle. Though it's medium in strength, it has a punchy rich flavor that perks you up without wearing you down. It has a nice room note and aftertaste with no sharpness, and a creamy smoothness that doesn't diminish at the bottom of the bowl like some burley blends will.

*Sunset:*
A variety of light, dark, and red Virginias work together to create a super smooth, creamy medium bodied flake with a little complexity. Minor grass notes intermingled with earth, honey, citrus and tangy sweetness with a slight tartness. All natural flavors with no topping, it burns slow, cool, and even with no dottle, which seems to be a trademark of HU products. There are many good flakes in this genre, but few match the elegance of taste inherent in this one. Should age exceptionally well, but is wonderful right out of a newly bought tin.


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## JimInks (Nov 11, 2012)

*Scotney:*
The Virginias are earthy, tangy sweet (indicating red Va. is one of them) with a touch of citrus, and very slightly grassy. The perique is plum, fig and dried fruit with some pepper. The amount of perique is ten percent of the components. The lightly applied topping is tomato sweet, but it doesn't taste ketchupy. Somehow, it seems to meld well with the tobaccos as the flavor is consistent all the way to the finish. Not as complex as some of Hans' other blends, it is a medium strength lightly aromatic broken flake that is easily rubbed out. It has a mild to medium nic-hit, and is more than a once a day pleasure. It burns smooth, slow, cool, and dry, requiring only a few relights, and leaving no dottle.


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## JimInks (Nov 11, 2012)

*Asmara:*
The mildly spicy, woody, creamy Orientals hit you as soon as you light up and are noticeable in every puff to the finish, though the other tobaccos show up more often before the half way point. While it does dominate the other components a little, it doesn't drown them out. The bright and red Virginias add a light touch of citrus and sweet, dark, dried ripe fruit with a mild earth note. I notice the latter flavors from the red Virginia more than I notice the characteristics from the bright. The perique offers a little spice, plum, fig, and raisins in a supporting role. The latakia is a minor addition, but it shows up here and there for a smoky, woody push with the taste you expect it to have, though you won't detect much of it. The various flavors work well together with some subtleness as some tobaccos take a little more prominence than others at different times, but not enough to upset the overall complex balance of the product. Burns well, cool, clean, and even, requiring very few relights. Leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl, and has a nice after taste. The nic-hit and strength is mild, and the taste is just above that, making for a pleasant all day smoke.

*RaiKo ChocoLat:*
The very smokey, woody sweet latakia is the dominant component by almost fifty percent, though this is no lat-bomb. The bright and stoved Virginias are stewed fruit sweet with some citrus, earth, and a touch of grass, and are evident in every puff. The burley is a supporting player: nutty sweet, and it may have some cocoa, though that is hard to tell because of the mild chocolate topping, which is rich in flavor and sweetness. The unsweetened black cavendish provides a creaminess that helps tone down any potential rough edges. The sweetness is not over done, and is amply complimented by the smokiness of the latakia. The nic-hit is a step past the mild mark. The strength is a shade past mild, and the taste is mild to medium. Burns well, cool and clean with a well balanced, consistent taste that never weakens, and is devoid of both harsh and dull notes. An all day smoke that burns to the last shred of tobacco with a pleasantly lingering after taste.


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